Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, the Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University could not conceal her joy neither could she hide help exuding an aura of fulfilment on Thursday, April 10, 2025 as she catalogued the achievements of her administration vis-a-vis her set goals on assumption of duty in September, 2021.
Amidst intermittent applauses, the academic Amazon, full of gratitude to the Governor and Visitor, the Deputy Governor, the varsity Senate, all members of the management, academic and non academic staff, including all the Unions for their unalloyed support as displayed in their collective dedication to duty, reeled out a barrage of landmark achievements credited to her administration so far.
This is my fourth consecutive convocation as Vice-Chancellor of this great institution. Since my appointment by Mr. Governor in September 2021, we have held convocation ceremonies annually without interruption, a testament to the stability and consistency that are the hallmarks of our university’s academic tradition.
Mr. Governor, Sir, the week-long activities of this Convocation Ceremony commenced on Thursday, 3rd April 2025, with a Press Conference and a Convocation Sports Competition for staff held later that day.
Hereunder is the abridged speech of the immensely grateful second female and 9th substantive Vice Chancellor of LASU, the Best State University in Nigeria and assiduously volleying for the top place in Africa ultimately:
On Tuesday, 8th April 2025, the Convocation Lecture titled, “Patriotism, Citizenship, and National Ownership: The Imperative of Collective Responsibility for Nigeria’s Future” was delivered by the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa and Chaired by Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Board Chairman of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
On Wednesday, 9th April 2025, which was yesterday, the university awarded diplomas, first degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and master’s degrees to a total of 11,755 deserving graduands.
Today, we come together to mark the final event of the 28th Convocation. This ceremony is a moment of fulfillment and pride for the 125 PhDs and 37 Professional Doctoral Degree graduands who have shown exceptional academic prowess and character in earning the highest degree offered by our university.
The Senate will also confer the prestigious title of Distinguished Professor upon, Professor Joseph Abayomi OLAGUNJU, one of our most highly accomplished professors.
In addition, the Senate will confer honorary doctorate degree on two distinguished Nigerians, Brigadier General Buba Marwa, CON Rtd., Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and former Military Governor of Lagos State, who will receive the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters [Infrastructure, Security and National Development], Honoris Causa. Incidentally, the approval and construction of this auditorium commenced under his administration as the Visitor to our University.
The auditorium has been named after him in recognition of his contributions and immense support to the University during his administration.
The second honoree is Otunba Olufemi Olusegun PEDRO, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State who will receive the Honorary Doctorate of Business (Banking, Entrepreneurship and National Development) Honoris Causa.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to these illustrious individuals for being deemed worthy of this esteemed honor by the Senate of our university. Your contributions to the development of our institution and society at large have been truly exceptional.
Mr. Governor, Sir, today’s ceremony also provides us with an opportunity to highlight some of the modest achievements we have recorded in the year, building on your unrelenting support and leadership. Permit me to highlight just a few because of the constraints of time:
Accreditation of all courses:
The University secured FULL ACCREDITATION for 43 out of 44 courses it presented during the last accreditation exercise that held in October/November 2023. Only 1 course received interim accreditation. The result of the accreditation exercise was released in June 2024 immediately after the 27th convocation ceremony to confirm that all courses in Lagos State University were accredited in line with the first strategic goal of my administration.
At the Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative STEM Education (ACEITSE), we commenced Postgraduate Diploma, Professional Masters and Academic Masters for the first time in the history of the programme.
At the 98th Annual Conference of National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), which is the highest body in STEM Education worldwide, LASU has the highest number of paper presentations accepted at the conference papers to be precise).
Linkages and Collaborations
Linkages and international collaborations foster global competency and the sharing of experiences towards the attainment of global academic best practices.
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I am delighted to report that in pursuant of this, the university increased its collaborative efforts in academic and professional relationships during the last one year as follows:
We achieved the renewal of the Partnership Agreement between LASU and Nigeria Air Force in October 2024 for research and exchange programmes.
We shall be partnering with the Nigeria Immigration Service to co-host the next edition of African Borderlands Research Network conference for the first time in Nigeria.
I am also glad to report that a host of sister institutions within and outside Nigeria have partnered with us in various areas to strengthen research, innovation and enhance academic delivery. Some of the institutions include Kwame Nkrumah University, Ghana, Emmanuel Alayande University, Oyo State amongst others.
Rankings
In the prestigious 2024 Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa Universities Ranking, LASU emerged:
i. Second Best Public University in Nigeria,
ii. Fourth Best University Overall in Nigeria,
iii. 30th Best University in Africa
A.D Scientific Index Ranking named LASU the best state university in Nigeria (2024)
Also, in the 2024 UI Greenmetrics World University Ranking, LASU was ranked Best University in Sub-Saharan Africa (the third time in a row)
We also won the Best University for the Actualization of the SDGs by the ECOWAS Youth Summit (2024).
Research and Innovation
In fulfillment of the strategic Goal 2 of my administration, which is to make LASU a research hub for national development, we have achieved the following since our last Convocation:
We organized the 6th Research and Innovation Fair of the university bringing together the Town and gown to develop solutions that affect the society.
The British Council has also just recently approved a project between our university and the University of Edinburgh on a research titled: “Gender-Based Violence in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria: Developing a framework for Report and Support Channels for Policy and Practice”.
I am happy to state that we received the donation of a fully-furnished Centre of Excellence for Entrepreneurship and Innovation which is known as the Awori House, donated by Her Excellency, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals. The facility is being managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This donation marked a major step in advancing research, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development in our University.
The Lagos State Government has also commenced the construction of a technology hub to facilitate research and innovation in the University, amongst others.
The Nigerian Copyright Commission approved LASU’s copyright protection application for five innovative products of our Centre of Excellence for Sargassium Research. These are:
SargaFish Feed,
SargaChicken Feed,
SargaRabbit Feed,
SargaPig Feed and
SargaGrasscutter Feed
We equally obtained trademark approval for these same five animal feeds from the Ministry of Trade and Investment.
ICT Innovations and Developments
In line with our commitment to technological advancements, LASU has launched its own online meeting application named TALKSPACE.
The Application is available on the LASU website and allows for flexible subscription by the general public.
I am elated to announce that another Faculty has been added to the new faculties established under my administration. We have established the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology which comprises the following departments:
Department of Computer Science
Department of Cyber Security
Department of Data Science
Department of ICT
Department of Software Engineering
These departments will offer academic programmes leading to the award of various degrees
In LASU, we have continued to mobilize resources to strengthen our ICT Development.
Against this background, we established a 1 (one) Petrabyte tier 3 Data Centre capable of warehousing and providing data archiving and repository services for curated data items in Lagos State and beyond. I am also proud to state that this infrastructure will provide solid support to Telecommunication industries.
Just a few days ago, we expanded our ICT Infrastructure with the inauguration of a state-of-the-art 350-seater capacity Computer-Based Test Centre.
Infrastructural Developments
In the area of infrastructural development, we achieved:
The Construction of a new Faculty of Arts Building funded through Tetfund Intervention;
The Academic Resource and Conference Centre funded through the TETFUND Intervention;
Ongoing Faculty Building for new School of Tourism funded through Tetfund Intervention
Ongoing construction of 2000 seater capacity CBT Centre by Federal Ministry of Education facilitated by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila;
Ongoing construction of 750 seater capacity lecture theatre facilitated by Her Excellency, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire
Construction of a new LASU Catering house on our main campus
We also have, at our Epe Campus:
The ongoing construction of boundary fence;
Construction of Olatunji-Bello Auditorium donated by Hon. Olatunji Bello to be commissioned soon;
Ongoing construction of 400 seater capacity CBT Centre funded through Tetfund intervention;
Construction of Faculty Buildings for Environmental Sciences;
Rehabilitation of LASU farm House, poultry and piggery of our School of Agriculture;
Ongoing construction of Studios for Faculty of Environmental Sciences
At the commencement of the 2024/2025 Academic Session, the University also went fully residential with the opening of some of our hostel facilities for occupation by students. We have also provided free accommodation for physically challenged students at the Hostels. Some of the hostels were also used during the 11th All Africa University Games co-hosted by LASU and UNILAG.
We also renovated and expanded our sporting facilities including the Sports Centre, office facilities amongst others.
IGR Generation
To boost our internally generated revenue, our administration has:
Established the LASU Water Plant for the production of LASU Bottle and Sachet water
We also inaugurated the LASU Academic Resource and Conference Centre as a Multipurpose Conference Centre and Guest House.
We have also floated a series of in-demand short courses while strengthening our consult services for improved productivity.
Sports Development
In the area of sports, I am glad to announce that we have been able to achieve the Strategic Goal 6 of my administration, which is to place LASU on the world map through the promotion and participation in Sports and Recreational Activities. With this,
We successfully co-hosted the 11th All Africa University Games with the University of Lagos in September 2024. It marked the first time that LASU would be hosting an international sports competition in its history.
At the end of the competition which had 68 universities from all over Africa competing for glory, LASU emerged the champion by coming second in the whole of Africa and first in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The LASU Female Football Team won Gold medal in the female football competition and thus qualified to play in the Federation of International University Sports (FISU) which will take place in China in September 2025.
Our teams have also qualified and currently preparing for the 2025 FISU and West African Universities Games (WAUG) and I am confident of a victorious outing.
Conclusion
As I conclude, I take pride in the tremendous progress we have made as a university. Despite facing challenges, we have used these as stepping stones for growth, and the graduation of 11,917 students this year stands as proof of our unwavering commitment to excellence.
Mr. Governor Sir, we are indeed proud of these achievements which are product of Collective dedication and commitment. But what we are most proud of is that we have successfully elevated the status of LASU among the comity of universities in Nigeria and Africa, and I am convinced we are on the path to becoming the best in the West Africa region by the end of my administration in September 2026.
Appreciation
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr Governor, Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu for his invaluable contributions to the development of our university. Specifically, I want to thank him, for recently approving the renovation of LASUCOM Histology/ Anatomy Laboratories in Ikeja as well as conversion of the CACOVID Centre, Mainland Hospital Yaba AND the Cardio Renal Centre Gbagada into Annexes of the College.
My gratitude also extends to the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Hamzat, and the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule; the Chancellor, Professor Gbolahan Elias, SAN; the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Sir David Sunmoni, FCA, KJW; all members of the Governing Council; and other stakeholders who have supported the university.
Furthermore, I must thank the members of the University Management, Senate, staff and students for their invaluable contributions to the success of the university. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the constructive efforts of Staff and Students’ Unions. Their proactive engagement with the university’s welfare policies has helped sustain industrial peace and harmony, ensuring the stability of our academic calendar over the past three and half (31/2) years.
To the graduands of today, I extend my heartfelt congratulations once again and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Lagos State University (LASU)
